New Zealand hits 500 COVID-19 deaths
An expelled Labour MP made "blatantly incorrect" accusations, NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. Photo: AAP
New Zealand has reached the grim milestone of 500 deaths of people with COVID-19.
While the number of Kiwis testing positive, and those in hospital with the virus, has significantly reduced from peaks last month, New Zealand’s Omicron outbreak continues to add to the death toll.
On Monday, health authorities announced 11 new virus-related deaths, all of people aged 60 and over.
That brings the country’s death toll to 500, with 86 per cent of New Zealand’s total COVID-related deaths having occurred in the past six weeks.
Cases have dropped to a seven-day rolling average of 10,169, down from a single-day high of 24,000 on March 9.
Hospitalisations, which peaked at precisely 1000 on March 21, are now down to 640.
Around 15 per cent of New Zealanders have now caught COVID-19.
The government is due to review its coronavirus regulations on Wednesday, when it will consider its mask-wearing guidelines and caps on indoor gatherings.
– AAP
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